Loaf Feast/ Frey Feast Blot and Rite/ Deeper Threads and Wisdom!!
At Loaf Feast/ Frey Feast , traditionally a time that we break bread together, a rite and ritual that is anchored in sharing and harvest, gift giving!! Bonds, and Kinship, here we are together once more, and what a gift that has become!! May we never lose sight of the importance of a simple act of sharing, being present with each other!! To be able to sit and celebrate, what a deep, rich gift!! One that stirs so much feeling and emotion in me, in us..
When the seed and inspired nudge came, to weave these open rites into being, I seeked permission on May Eve, I sat in Utiseta, In ancient Norse, Utiseta done at a transitional point, a crossroads, a hedge way, where water meets land, a waterfall, a doorway, a gateway!! Where we met the inner teacher, we watch, sit and listen deeply, I sat under this Large Oak, beside this ancient hedgerow of Hawthorn, and Blackthorn!! I performed a Blot and journeyed!! Permission was seeked and granted.
I knew, felt the importance of Loaf Feast being the root and start of our journey, the spark that would weave our community and journey together beautifully, to let it start like a tiny seed and grow, to break bread together, I felt it was a beautiful way of weaving this together!!
I truly believe the land beneath our feet is releasing her stories, all of what she has witnessed, seen and felt!! She is urging us to touch the ground and reach deep into the Earth with our bare hands, to pull those stories up into the light , like lost seeds, that are yearning to be reborn , retold and remembered .. This is how we move from harm to healing. Through our collective story… We are being urged to reclaim our heritage, our pride, honour and lead with all our mite and heart!! Not just for us, for our Children's, Children.
Story of Sharing, Meeting as Strangers and parting as Kin!!
Sharing is an innate gift that is deeply wired into our being, with us approaching Loaf Feast, for us a time of thanks and deep sharing, celebrating our up and coming Earth Journey. I felt it was a great time to share this story!!
A few years back I was at a talk about the climate and the effects of a changing world!! I sat on a Hay Bail on a road that had been closed, I was gestured by a stranger, to come and sit with her, she met me with a smile, and I sat with ease, she was gently peeling an Orange, once she had, she smiled deeply at me, a smile that came from her eyes, it somehow wrapped itself around me and without a single word, she passed me half the Orange, it was a experience that has never left me, at that very moment the talk was about food shortages in the years to come, from crop failures, and weather extremes. The fragility of the just in time food system… A simple moment shared, yet one that I will never forget, sharing, and breaking bread is something long forgotten for most, yet may we weave it back into being!! Myself and that Lady met as strangers yet parted as Kin!!
Strength and kindness are one of the same thing they need to hold hands, they are the same being, aspects of each other. Beautiful wisdom from a very wise herbalist I know....
True strength and true kindness to oneself and each other, is the ability to feel, to cry, to rest, to say no, to say yes and mean it, to have boundaries, to be vulnerable and have courage to represent your heart in the most authentic way you can.
So before we hold our Blot and Rite what brings you here? Let's pass the Talking Stick and let's share!!
Frey and Freya are the life-giving sunshine and rain that blesses the fields with fertility and abundance. It is said that Frey when He fell in love with a maiden, named Gerd, He gave away his sword in order to win Her hand in marriage.
Freya is known as the Mistress of Healing, Magic, and Love, she is also rooted in fertility!! sex and peacefulness and frith. As well as being a fierce Shield Maiden and warrior when required.